Horizon Christian’s track and field team entered the final third of its season by competing in two invitational meets this past week, Thursday with 11 other teams at St. Paul and Saturday in the 26-team Portland Christian Invitational.
The Hawks were second in both boys and girls team competitions during a rainy, cold afternoon at the Buckaroo Invite at St. Paul. Horizon athletes won three events, including both the boys and girls triple jump. Sophomore Quinn Roetcisoender won the boys competition and senior Hannah Kempt took first place in the girls event. Horizon’s other championship came from sophomore Andrew Rinella, who won the 400-meter run.
All told, 16 athletes registered personal bests at the meet, including sophomore Amy Requa, who lowered the school record in the 1500 to 5 minutes, 56.91 seconds. She came back two days later at Portland Christian to run a two-minute personal best and school record 13:34.29 in the 3000.
Sophomore teammate Jodee Hicks, and freshmen Paulina Finn and Makoa Whitaker each had two PRs at St. Paul: Hicks in the long jump and high jump; Finn in the low hurdles and triple jump; and Whitaker in the intermediate hurdles and javelin. Whitaker continues to steadily improve in the javelin, as he threw 121 feet, 2 inches at St. Paul, and then bested that at Portland Christian with a throw of 123-4.
Finn also had a good day Saturday, when she tied the school record in the high jump at 4-10 and then ran a leg on Horizon’s school record setting 4X400 relay along with Haley Becnal, Kloee Brown and Kempf. Kempf added a school record and personal best in the 200 (28.09); fellow senior Ryan Aldrich did the same in the shot put (40-10.75).
Horizon’s top placer at Portland Christian was junior Salvador Ramirez, the Class 1A state leader in the 1500. Ramirez was second in a tactical metric mile in 4 minutes, 21.11 seconds. Teammate Jony Nelson was ninth in the race, moving into sixth on the 1A state list with a personal best 4:31.32.
Horizon competes Thursday at the Southwest Invitational at Sherwood High School and Friday at the Jeff Agar Memorial Invite in Glenwood, Wash.
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